There is a place up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where a small trickle of water separates into two streams. For those drops of water a small drift to the left or to the right can have an immensely different outcome. Water to the left flows west into the Colorado River, the Gulf of California and then the Pacific Ocean. Water to the right flows east to the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico and then the Atlantic Ocean. One small turning point, two very different destinations. The choices we make can be like that. They may not seem great at the time, but they can change the course of our life.
Life is all about choices. As children we choose our friends, our interests, whether to work hard, or not. Later we choose where we live, our career path, how we look after our health, our attitude to obstacles and difficulties, our response to causes and issues. As Christians we choose to follow Christ, and then to keep following Him in the choices of day to day life.
Sometimes our ability to choose is limited by life’s circumstances. That’s especially true for people living in the developing world where poverty, climate conditions, natural disasters, corruption and trading injustice prevent freedom of choice.
Crucially, the choices we make in the UK often have a direct impact on the scope for choice available to our brothers and sisters in the developing world. In recent years our own culture and attitudes to the poor and vulnerable have been changing beyond recognition.
Fairtrade Fortnight is crunch time. As Christians it’s time to choose. Are we on the side of ‘anything for a bargain’ and ‘who cares where my food comes from’ or are we on the side of Christ who identified with the poor and lived and died sacrificially for others? Choosing Fair Trade over other shopping options is not an optional extra for Christians and it’s time to change our lifestyles if we’re serious about following Christ.